Kyler Murray Officially Chooses the NFL over MLB
Kyler Murray has officially chosen football over baseball, announcing his plans to go all-in on the NFL Draft as he prepares for the next level.
Murray wrote, “Moving forward, I am firmly and fully committing my life to becoming an NFL quarterback. Football has been my love and passion my entire live. I was raised to play QB, and I very much look forward to dedicating 100% of myself to being the best QB possible and winning NFL championships. I have started an extensive training program to further prepare myself for upcoming NFL workouts and interviews. I eagerly await the opportunity to continue to prove the NFL decision makers that I am the franchise QB in this draft.”
— Kyler Murray (@TheKylerMurray) February 11, 2019
Interestingly, Murray did not mention baseball or the Oakland A’s, who signed him and allowed him to play a season for the Sooners, in his statement.
Financially, Murray will return $1.29 million of the $1.5 million signing bonus money the A’s gave him last year, according to ESPN. He also has to forfeit the remaining $3.16 million, due March 1.
At 5’10”, Murray would be the shortest starting quarterback in the NFL, one inch smaller than Seahawks QB Russell Wilson.
Murray threw for for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns while posting the highest QBR (95.8) in the stat’s history on his way to winning the 2018 Heisman Trophy one year after fellow OU quarterback Baker Mayfield won the award. Murray also broke Mayfield’s record for FBS passing efficiency, which was set in 2017. In addition, Murray became the first player in FBS history to average at least 300 yards passing and 60 yards rushing per game.
Murray joined an exclusive group with Clemson QB Deshaun Watson as the only other FBS quarterback to pass for 4,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in the same season. The A’s will put him on the restricted list and retain Murray’s rights, but they don’t get a compensatory draft pick.
The 2019 NFL Draft begins Thursday, April 27th.
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